When He placed the human race upon the surface of this planet
He dowered them with freedom, giving to each man self-determining force,
by the exercise of which he was to become better than a man or worse
than a beast. Good and evil, like wheat and cockle, grow together, in
the same field. The winnowing is at harvest-time, not before. Meanwhile,
we ourselves have lived to see the fairest portions of this fair
creation of God changed from a garden into a desert--pillaged, ravaged,
and brought to utter ruin by shot and shell, sword and fire. When I have
said this, I have but uttered a foreword to the hideous story, spoken
the prologue only of the "frightful" tragedy. We are all familiar with
at least some of the revolting facts and details with which the German
soldiery has been found charged and convicted by Commissions appointed
to investigate the crimes and atrocities adduced against them. The
verdicts of French, Belgian, and English tribunals are unanimous. They
all agree that Germany has been caught redhanded in her work of dyeing
the map of Europe red with innocent blood.
When you bend your eyes to the pathetic cartoon standing opposite this
letterpress, is there not brought home to you in a way, touching even to
tears, the "frightful" consequences of the misuse of human powers, more
especially of the attribute of freedom? If Germany had chosen to use,
instead of brute force, moral force, what a great, grand, and glorious
mission might have been hers to-day.
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